Jump to content
Goodbye Jesus

My Therapist...


bird28

Recommended Posts

What happened today was I've been seeing the same therapist for two years now. Anyway I was worrying a lot and he asked if I was spiritual. I was like "not anymore" and he was like "when you see the birds and the flowers and stuff, don't know know some higher power created them..." and then he was like "you should pray instead of being worried, even if you are not spiritual."

 

 

Grrr... seriously, he's suppose to be a therapist that isn't suppose to bring up stuff like that.

 

I dunno what to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"you should pray instead of being worried, even if you are not spiritual."

 

 

Grrr... seriously, he's suppose to be a therapist that isn't suppose to bring up stuff like that.

 

I dunno what to do.

This is not professional advice in my opinion Bird.

 

If it were me, I'd look for a new therapist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"No, when I see birds and flowers, I see biology and the brutal and savage fight to survive. I can not see a higher power in the sight of an eagle or owl feeding on someone's puppy, nor in a chimp killing another for no other reason then they wanted to."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shit, I can do better than that therapist.

 

Bird I think worry may be a result of anticipated distress. It is distress caused by the anticipation of further distress. I ask these things.... If I stop worrying about this event, can I know with high certainty that it will still affect me negatively? If it will affect me negatively, do I have any control over it?

 

If I have no control over the event then there is no benefit in worry. But if I have some measure of control over the event then I try to draw plans and take action.

 

I don't know if that's any use, but hell, it might be better than what that therapist offers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since I no longer believe in God I have no reason to pray.

 

But one recourse is meditation. Training myself to relax, breathe and don't attach to or pursue the worrisome thoughts that bubble up in my mind was a great way to let go of worries. Try it for five minutes at a time without pressuring yourself to do it a certain way or "be" a certain way.

 

I'm no expert. I'm not even very disciplined. But I found it helped me tremendously as I adjusted to the stress of deconverting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What happened today was I've been seeing the same therapist for two years now. Anyway I was worrying a lot and he asked if I was spiritual. I was like "not anymore" and he was like "when you see the birds and the flowers and stuff, don't know know some higher power created them..." and then he was like "you should pray instead of being worried, even if you are not spiritual."

 

 

Grrr... seriously, he's suppose to be a therapist that isn't suppose to bring up stuff like that.

 

I dunno what to do.

 

My wife is a therapist- a psychologist. And she says that this is highly unprofessional- just plain unacceptable unless said therapist bills themselves as a Christian Therapist. I don't know what you want to get out of this situation, but she says it would be appropriate to report this to the therapist's supervisor and look elsewhere if you no longer feel comfortable with him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wife is a therapist- a psychologist. And she says that this is highly unprofessional- just plain unacceptable unless said therapist bills themselves as a Christian Therapist. I don't know what you want to get out of this situation, but she says it would be appropriate to report this to the therapist's supervisor and look elsewhere if you no longer feel comfortable with him.

Not exactly what I first said, but close. :wicked:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is this the first time he's mentioned religion in the two years you've been seeing him? If so you should make it clear that his advice was unwelcome and give him another chance (assuming he has been helpful so far). Otherwise, yeah find a new one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since I no longer believe in God I have no reason to pray.

 

But one recourse is meditation. Training myself to relax, breathe and don't attach to or pursue the worrisome thoughts that bubble up in my mind was a great way to let go of worries. Try it for five minutes at a time without pressuring yourself to do it a certain way or "be" a certain way.

 

I'm no expert. I'm not even very disciplined. But I found it helped me tremendously as I adjusted to the stress of deconverting.

 

I agree, this has helped me a lot, not just with the stress of deconversion, but in general.

 

I know first-hand that a relationship with a therapist is important - it takes a long time to build trust, and I know that if I was in your position, starting over from scratch with a new person is the last thing I would want to do. If you feel comfortable bringing it up, I would take the time to articulate your position to him, express your concerns, and explain exactly how what he said made you uncomfortable. However, a therapist that fundamentally can't grasp your inner world can only help you so much. I don't know what size community you live in, or how many options you have, but psychologytoday.com has a wonderful directory of therapists and psychiatrists - I found mine there, and she's awesome.

 

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

This is not professional advice in my opinion Bird.

 

If it were me, I'd look for a new therapist.

^ ^ ^

| | |

What he said!

 

(..whatever happened to that emoticon...)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will back up what the others here have said about meditation. I am prone to worry. I am not disciplined and don't do it every day, but I have been doing meditation about 2 years now. Long periods of sitting meditation don't do much for me, but just 10 or 15 minutes is really beneficial, I believe. What it does is on a deep level make you aware that thoughts are not substantial things. You just watch them come and go but not hold on to them. This diminishes the power these thoughts can have in your life.

 

Asking you to pray if you are not religious is nothing more than asking you to pretend. I can't see any benefit from doing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What happened today was I've been seeing the same therapist for two years now. Anyway I was worrying a lot and he asked if I was spiritual. I was like "not anymore" and he was like "when you see the birds and the flowers and stuff, don't know know some higher power created them..." and then he was like "you should pray instead of being worried, even if you are not spiritual."

 

 

Grrr... seriously, he's suppose to be a therapist that isn't suppose to bring up stuff like that.

 

I dunno what to do.

 

Get a new therapist. That's not professional or even legal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Been there , done that. I had one that told me to pray to heal my phobia - she was like ALL WE CAN DO IS PRAY AND HOPE FOR GOD TO HEAL YOU and i was like ... excuse me lady i just paid you almost $50 for like an 3 minutes convo of PRAY PRAY PRAY GOD PRAY inside an room filled with jesus pictures - i could has well got it for free on an church ... :twitch: srsly people these days are sooo not profesional!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been there , done that. I had one that told me to pray to heal my phobia - she was like ALL WE CAN DO IS PRAY AND HOPE FOR GOD TO HEAL YOU and i was like ... excuse me lady i just paid you almost $50 for like an 3 minutes convo of PRAY PRAY PRAY GOD PRAY inside an room filled with jesus pictures - i could has well got it for free on an church ... :twitch: srsly people these days are sooo not profesional!

 

I bet she doesn't even know of the effective desensitization methods that have a much more proven track record for results.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"when you see the birds and the flowers and stuff, don't know know some higher power created them..." and then he was like "you should pray instead of being worried, even if you are not spiritual."

My first response is to ask, "Do you mean to tell me that as my therapist, you're advocating my developing a relationship with an invisible friend?!? Isn't psychosis one of the clinical descriptors of anyone who has an invisible friend?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What happened today was I've been seeing the same therapist for two years now. Anyway I was worrying a lot and he asked if I was spiritual. I was like "not anymore" and he was like "when you see the birds and the flowers and stuff, don't know know some higher power created them..." and then he was like "you should pray instead of being worried, even if you are not spiritual."

 

 

Grrr... seriously, he's suppose to be a therapist that isn't suppose to bring up stuff like that.

 

I dunno what to do.

Dunno, Epicurus said pray if it makes you feel better, even if you know no one is listening. Giving the therapist the benefit of the doubt, perhaps try some sort of meditation exercise instead?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.